The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A contacting device of the aforementioned type is known. Pin-shaped contact elements are positioned and held by being supported in openings in guide elements spaced at an axial distance from one another. The guide elements are designed as guide plates. The openings are preferably designed as boreholes, whereby guide lengths and borehole positions are fixed parameters. The pin-shaped contacts are also referred to as needles, one end of which is used to contact test points of the test piece, and the other end of which cooperates with a contacting device which is connected to an electrical test device. In this manner testing circuits may be connected in order to test the function, in particular the electrical function, of the test piece. In one specialized design the ends of the needle which contact the test piece may be provided without tips, i.e., so as to extend flatly, when in particular solder points of the test piece are to be contacted. The ends of the needles become soiled when the test piece is frequently contacted. The soilage is occasionally removed, preferably by abrasion, i.e., ground off, as the result of which a fraction of the length of the needles is always ground off as well. This relatively severe wear on the needles results in a corresponding shortening of the needles, requiring replacement of the needles when a minimum length is reached.